So long...

"SciAuthor" asked for stories about the 'thrill and pain of science when it
works and doesn't' and gossipy stuff like relationships in the lab etc.
How 'bout stories of working in the field for 13 plus years but, due to the
utter lack of value that society puts on your work, never being able to
find a job which pays a living wage or is non-seasonal or with any
benefits. I am not a slacker. I have an M.S. and expertise in botany,
forest ecology, and ecosystems ecology. I am well respected in the
academic community for my work and even in the state and federal natural
resources management circles. In fact, I have spoken to several agencies
this spring who would LOVE to have me on board. BUT THERE IS NO MONEY! The
best most can offer is an entry level title and $8-9/hr. Meanwhile, the
administrators are getting huge raises in academic and governmental
institutions. They make decisions without any background or expertise in
an area and some even go so far as to attack you if you try to share your
expertise with them. So, after job searching for over 6 months and being
cut off without warning from the project I expected to be on through June,
I will be taking a manual labor job which pays MORE than any job I have
held in the last 13 years.
I am angry. I have worked, for almost nothing, for 13 years and have
nothing to show for it, not even the thanks or respect of the society I
worked so hard for. TELL THAT TO ASPIRING SCIENTISTS!
Cindy Hale